Hello, Birders. I stopped in at Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area, Saguache County, on my drive back yesterday, Monday, May 25th, from the CFO Convention. The place was as birdy as ever, with such highlights as 1 Black-bellied Plover and 2 alternate adult Common Terns. Common Tern is a rare bird in Colorado in the spring, and I wonder if these 2 were the same as the 2 found the day before by CFOers at Smith Reservoir, Costilla County. Other birds at Russell Lakes included: Canvasback, Redhead, and other duck species; Eared, Clark's, and other grebe species; American Bittern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and many Snowy Egrets; several small flocks of Plegadis ibises; 2 Virginia Rails and 4 Soras; scattered Wilson's Phalaropes; 15+ Forster's Terns and 80+ Black Terns; and incomprensibly multitudinous swarms of Violet-green Swallows and Marsh Wrens. It is interesting to contemplate that a great deal of the wetlands complex up there is inaccessible to birders; every time I'm there, I wonder just how many more birds are out there. The little grove by the parking area had a nice smattering of migrant landbirds, among them Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Yellow-rumped and Wilson's Warblers, Lincoln's Sparrow, Bullock's Oriole, and Pine Siskin. This is a great "migrant trap," right along US-285, tiny, easily birded, and often productive of vagrants. It's the Last Chance, if you will, of the San Luis Valley. Farther north along US-285, up in Chaffee County, there was a decent assortment of PJ birds along CR-304 just east of Johnson Village: a persistently singing Black-throated Gray Warbler, 2 calling Gray Flycatchers, several pairs of Bushtits, a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and a screeching Western Scrub-Jay. This is a nice stop for folks doing the drive along US-285 through South Park. I had a Western Screech-Owl here in 2007, and there is even a report (also from 2007) of Greater Roadrunner from nearby. The local name seems to be Big Sandy Draw; anyhow, a nice stop right along the highway. Ted Floyd Lafayette, Colorado [email protected] ------------------------------- Ted Floyd Editor, Birding ------------------------------- Please support the American Birding Association: Click on http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=884482 to search the internet. Every search provides support to the ABA's programs in Education, Conservation, and Publications. Please visit the website of the American Birding Association: http://www.aba.org _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_BR_life_in_synch_052009 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Join us at the 2009 Convention in Alamosa: http://cfo-link.org/convention/index.php
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